Books with author Ann Herrick

City girl, country guy. Will opposites attract—or clash? When New-York-City girl Emily visits her cousin Janelle in Oregon, Emily wonders how she'll survive the wilderness. Janelle wonders if the wilderness will survive Emily's visit—and if she can convince her cousin to help save part of an old-growth forest. Meanwhile, Emily also wonders if a big-city girl can get along with a county guy—named Bret. Under forest canopies and by crystal-clear waters she struggles with her growing attraction to him. But they're so different. Whoever thought she'd fall for someone like him?

What secrets are revealed when six teens get trapped at school on a Saturday?Wes and his best buds, Tony and Jeff, have enough brain power to fuel the entire sophomore class, but when it comes to their social lives, they are totally inept. So they volunteer to organize the art room on Saturday knowing three certain cheerleaders will be there for practice. Trouble is, none of the guys can come up with a plan to take advantage of the opportunity to be the only six students in the building. Then, thanks to a freak snowstorm, they're snowed in, which isn't so bad when the girls of their horniest dreams are there, too. Maybe it could give Wes the chance to make his fantasies about Ellyce come true! However, the last thing Wes expects is to be caught in a game that forces everyone to share his deepest secret. He fears if Ellyce discovers the story of his alcoholic father and abandonment by his mother, she'll never want anything to do with him.

Greta can't wait to be at the top of the grade-school heap--especially since she's dealing with loss at home. Her father's away in Antarctica, her mother's still angry with Greta's Dad for leaving, and Grampa's losing his memory. But even sixth grade starts to feel like life stinks. Greta discovers she's not in the same classroom with her best friend. New girl Kiki moves onto the scene and starts acting like the boss of the whole sixth grade. And the handsome new teacher seems way too interested in Greta's mother. Greta agrees to be a candidate for class president only to stop Kiki from winning. She regrets accepting Kiki's bet that if Kiki wins the election, she gets to tell Greta what to do for the whole school year. It takes some inspiration from her school project about René Descartes and his "I think, therefore I am" beliefs to help Greta keep her sixth-grade experience from totally going down the toilet.Grades 3-6

Can Kaysie have a summer romance with Troy and still remain true to Brian? After all, Brian did tell her to have a fling or two while she was on vacation! But what happens when feelings and hormones collide? Can Kaysie trust her heart to stay on track? And how is she going to keep an eye on her mother and Troy's father--who just happens to be Mom's former summer romance? How did fun in the summer sun get so complicated, anyway?***I so never planned on having a summer romance. And I totally never expected my mother to have one. I mean, she's such a relic that her husband is actually my father. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I want to tell this story before I forget it. After all, in just a few short years I'll be in my twenties and I'll start losing ten thousand brain cells a day.So, near as I can remember, this is the beginning …****"Wake up, sleepyhead."An elbow jabbed my ribs. Brian's elbow. Panic! Confusion! What was I doing waking up with Brian? I'd be grounded until the next century!"Kaysie, you were the one who wanted to see the sunrise. Remember?" Brian sighed. "That's why we've been parked at the edge of Stanton Pond for the last hour.""Oh …" I lifted my head from Brian's shoulder. "Right."I yawned and stretched, then focused my eyes on the horizon. The sky turned pink. Rays of pale golden light filtered through the maple trees lining the far side of the pond. The sky grew brighter until the great yellow sphere appeared. I closed my eyes. Even in the car I felt the warmth of the sun on my face.I hoped it signaled a beginning and not an end. I hadn't really wanted to see the sunrise so much as I'd wanted to spend another hour with Brian. I mean, at long last, after several false starts, I actually had a boyfriend. Being with him for his graduation party wasn't enough. Not when, in a few short hours, I would be dragged off to Lake Whatamacallit for a whole month."I'm going to miss you," Brian said."Me, too." It totally wasn't fair. We'd started dating only two months ago. For a moment, I almost smiled as I remembered celebrating my sixteenth birthday at The Pizza Parlor with my best friend, Venetia. Brian had strolled by and noticed the candles on my sausage-and-mushroom pizza."So, you're sixteen now …," he'd said with a big smile.Next day he called and asked me out. I was so shocked I needed a self-inflicted Heimlich maneuver. Not that I was couple crazed. But I was ready to relate. I managed to say Yes. I mean, on the Boy-o-meter scale, Brian was definitely cute, almost to the point of being hot, and, not-so-incidentally, he was a main brain."I wish I'd get more time off this summer," Brian said, dragging me back to the present. "Then I could visit you.""Me, too." I tried to swallow the trace of resentment I still had after hearing about Brian's job. Only one day off every two weeks! Not enough time to drive up from Connecticut to visit me in New Hampshire. Okay, being a counselor at the camp for disadvantaged kids was important to him. I guess that was one of the reasons I cared about him. But there was this small part of me okay, a not-so-small part that wished he couldn't live without me. I mean, is that too much to ask?Then, out of the currently clear blue sky, Brian said those magic words, "I love you." He twisted his school ring off his finger and held it up to me. "And … and I'd like you to wear this."Whoa! No one I knew gave a girl his school ring. That was the kind of thing that went on in the olden days when Mom was young. But when I saw the sunlight bouncing off the gold, I lusted after that ring. "Oh, Brian," I whispered as I reached for it."But, well, um … we have to say goodbye for now." He stuck the ring back on his finger! Brian was quiet for a moment, then said, "I I don't know exactly how to say this. But, uh, after you come back, if we … we still feel the same way about each other, would you take my ring then?""I do

In Ann Herrick's "All's Fair in Love and Words" published by Books We Love, Laurel can't handle her new authority as editor of the yearbook, especially when it comes to Matt, the new guy at school who has her head spinning. Is she doing what's best for the yearbook, or what's best for her? Is she being unfair to Matt, or is he trying to use her? To complicate matters, her best friend's love life is falling apart, her home life is driving her crazy with parents who are frantic about their upcoming high-school reunion and a sister who has suddenly become klutz of the century. Can Laurel help her best friend, survive her chaotic household and resolve her war of words with Matt without losing at love? ". . . A fun romp through Laurel and Matt's senior year. Getting what you ask for can really complicate your life, especially when it makes you the boss of a potential boyfriend. Ms. Herrick does a nice job of leading her characters through the confusing time that is high school. Laurel learns that balancing work and romance is difficult work and that compromise is the name of the game." ~ Brenda Edde, Timeless Tales". . . Ms. Herrick winds her light and humorous touch around the age-old teenage insecurities surrounding romance, other people's opinions, and self-image. Self-discovery can be both painful and rewarding, with a touch of rueful humor. . ." ~ Jeanette Cotrell, eBook Reviews Weekly

FIRST LOVESAll's Fair in Love and WordsLaurel can't handle her new authority as editor of the yearbook, especially when it comes to Matt, the new guy at school who has her head spinning! Can Laurel help her best friend, survive her chaotic household and resolve her war of words with Matt without losing at love?Trading FacesAn "Ugly Betty" and a Popular Beauty wind up trading faces—and lives—and the situation is not what either one expected! Trouble is, how do they get their own lives back?Life, Love, and Surviving High SchoolBecca hasn't been on the same page as her best friends since just before the start of middle school and she doesn't know exactly how things got so different. But when one day Claire makes an offer about drop-dead-gorgeous Brent that Becca can't resist, that changes everything!REVIEWS for FIRST LOVES books:"…not a dull page…everything came together smoothly…several plots that all wove together seamlessly…loved the characterization, it was absolutely fantastic. They all had unique personalities that they stayed true to, which lead to believable and entertaining figures…immensely enjoyable read!"

Will Nolan give up his bad-boy ways for Vija?17-year-old Vija Skalbe wants to be an all-American girl—no matter how hard her parents try to impose their strict Latvian standards on her. She feels unsure of herself with one foot in each country. Then Nolan, a folksinger, steals her heart at a coffeehouse. When Nolan stops at their table, it's Vija's friend, Caprice, who does all the talking. But it is Vija who gets his phone number—and later the back seat of his motorcycle. Soon she is cruising from one adventure to another, dizzy with joy, her new-found freedom and the excitement of being with the kind of guy who is a challenge. However, when her father has a heart attack, Vija must take over running the family lawn-care business. She feels overwhelmed until sweet brainiac Joel volunteers to help. He shares the workload and lifts her spirits with his humor. But it is Nolan who fills her heart. It doesn't matter that Nolan wants everything his way. Or that he's constantly eyeing other girls. Or that he can be pouty and punitive. Or that he says she's seeing things all wrong. Until it does matter. But Vija's in so deep. Will he change? Will she deal with Nolan's controlling tactics, or is she too far under his spell?

Three short stories of teen love and longingBeneath the Surface:Lariena can't go in the water, and the mysterious Adrian won't come out. Is that any way to have a summer romance? But eventually Adrian teaches Lariena to face her fears and not be afraid of what's Beneath the Surface, even when it's the scary unknown.Shortcut to Romance:An assignment, a snow storm and a detour take Emily on a Shortcut to Romance.Saskia:Even ten years after she disappeared from his life, Ben cannot forget the magic of the girl named Saskia. What will he do now that he has the opportunity to see her once more?

Laura finds out that, Ricky, the boy who created her horrible nickname, "Lard Butt," has moved back into town—and immediately schemes to keep him quiet. After all, she can't let her new swim teammates, especially drool-worthy Noah, hear the horrible name! No way! She's determined to put a million years between grade school and junior high—even in the face of a father who drives an éclair, a would-be-movie-star mother who suddenly moves back home, and a past that comes back to haunt her with the dreaded nickname.Although Laura's embarrassed about how she looks in a swimsuit, she tries to stay true to her vow to take risks. She even lets Maria talk her into going to the school dance, where she braves negotiating a truce for a quarreling couple. New friendships form, Laura's mother starts getting too domesticated for Laura's comfort, and hints of romance start to develop—or do they?Review:This book should be read by ALL girls no matter what age they are, even if it means reading the book to each other so girls can understand each other's feelings…This book is so inspiring because as a girl, it is hard not to worry about my size and weight. This book really changed my perception of my body! … ~~Angel, 5 Girls Book Reviews

City girl, country guy. Will opposites attract or clash? When New-York-City girl Emily visits her cousin Janelle in Oregon, Emily wonders how she'll survive the wilderness. Janelle wonders if the wilderness will survive Emily's visit and if she can convince her cousin to help save part of an old-growth forest. Meanwhile, Emily also wonders if a big-city girl can get along with a county guy named Bret. Under forest canopies and by crystal-clear waters she struggles with her growing attraction to him. But they're so different. Whoever thought she'd fall for someone like him?

When Jason and his friends form a garage band, they call it "No Frills" because they want to keep it real, even when they enter a band contest and pressures to alter their image mount. Then one day, due to a close encounter with lightning, Jason's life changes in a big way, but is he magically cooler or is it just his perception? As he goes from blah to cool, his head swells as he takes his fifteen minutes of fame too seriously. His too-busy mother and fortune-telling grandmother don't get through to him. Even maybe-more-than-a-friend Layla is ready to give up on Jason, especially when he starts flirting with much-older Mindy. Only a rescued kitten keeps him even remotely grounded. It isn't until he loses the friendships with the band mates he once counted on that he realizes he has a major problem, and he worries it might be too late to fix it.

The Ann Herrick Special Edition published by Books We Love, includes three of Ann's most popular novels. The Real Me, Snowed in Together and Hey Nobody's PerfectThe Real MeWhen Mattie has issues with her weight, she decides to take charge of her life, redo her image, find confidence and maybe even dare to talk to guys. Will a change in lifestyle, a friend, a tormentor, and a dream guy help Mattie discover her real self and find romance along the way?Snowed in TogetherWhat secrets are revealed when six teens get trapped at school on a Saturday? Wes and his best buds, Tony and Jeff, have enough brain power to fuel the entire sophomore class, but when it comes to their social lives, they are totally inept. So they volunteer to organize the art room on Saturday knowing three certain cheerleaders will be there for practice. Trouble is, none of the guys can come up with a plan to take advantage of the opportunity to be the only six students in the building. Then, thanks to a freak snowstorm, they're snowed in, which isn't so bad when the girls of their horniest dreams are there, too. Maybe it could give Wes the chance to make his fantasies about Ellyce come true! However, the last thing Wes expects is to be caught in a game that forces everyone to share his deepest secret. He fears if Ellyce discovers the story of his alcoholic father and abandonment by his mother, she'll never want anything to do with him. Hey, Nobody's PerfectLife was complicated enough for Sivia before a guy with no legs came into her life. Her parent's divorce did not wipe out their traditional family values. Dad is still way too self-centered, Mom is still resentful, Russ is still shoving food in his mouth and Sivia doesn’t need any more drama. But when the new student, obnoxious and legless Keeley, becomes her project partner, her life becomes even more complicated. Family friction, peer pressure and her overly controlling father are threats her budding relationship—but prejudices she never knew she had and doesn't want to acknowledge are the biggest hurdle of all.